09_02_2021

                I am definitely feeling challenged to not succumb to a sinking feeling that we are living through an extended period of history that is marked by stupidity.  The constant bombardment of bad news or stories of human behavior that I find beyond my ability to understand are definitely challenging my reservoir of hope.  Such difficult scenes to witness are challenging my otherwise general sense that the goodness of people far outweighs the harmful or shortsighted actions of some.

                Let’s begin with the forest fires and extended heat waves and the droughts of the western part of our country.  These unfolding events are difficult to witness, and I find my own anxiety levels rising as I try to imagine what it feels like to be told that you have to abandon your home in order to save your life.  It leads me to start contemplating questions like, “Where would I go?”  “Where might I find lodging that would allow me to bring my animals?”  “What would I choose to take with me?”

                What adds salt to the  woundedness of the realization that we are likely to continue to suffer climate tragedies is the continued denial of some in Washington and across the country that continue to deny the destructiveness of Global Warming.

                I have to believe that this period of our lives will be recorded in history textbooks with subject headings that call attention to the pervasive examples of stupidity that are hallmarks of these years.  How can such a large percentage of people refuse to get vaccinated when they look at the data that shows the increasing number of infections from the Delta variant?  The number of hospitalizations?  The rising numbers of death among the unvaccinated? The awareness that refusals to get vaccinated are leading to harm to members of your family, your colleagues, your children.

                The efforts to limit who is able to vote because it’s clear to those in power that their political positions don’t appeal to the majority of voters.  If you know your positions aren’t popular, instead of keeping people from voting, why not take a more reasonable position and change your policies? 

                And how is it possible that some of these deniers and manipulators don’t see the inconsistencies of their ways?  A great example of this behavior is witnessing how those who don’t see any role for the federal government to provide assistance in times of need immediately seek federal assistance when the State they live in experiences some kind of natural disaster?

                How does a governor of a State that is responsible for 25% of the country’s current Covid cases condemn a President for not containing the virus when he, the governor, is exacerbating the spread of the disease via his stance on not requiring  masking, social distancing, and other recommendations from the CDC? 

                Other recent events that we have been called to witness are the heart-wrenching scenes connected with the decision that the U.S. has decided to end the war in Afghanistan.  In addition to my ability to empathize with those who want to flee as they fear for their lives, the feelings that the evacuation evokes are made more complex by witnessing that people are so quick to make judgment about those making the decisions. 

                I am waiting to hear more information about the circumstances that led to the decisions that were made.  I’m not adverse to learning that we could have improved how we handled this situation, but I do have a problem with those who are so quick to condemn this President, especially when they remained silent about the constant examples of outrageous decisions by the former guy.

                And then there’s the extensive destruction from violent storms, like Hurricane Ida and the horrific havoc its wreaked in Louisiana.  Anyone with the capacity for empathy can’t help but be touched by imaging what those living in that State will be experiencing over the next 12-18 months as they try to rebuild their lives.

                This morning I felt like I had encountered the “straw that broke the camel’s back” as I read about Texas making it legal for residents to carry handguns without holding a permit to own a gun.  This law, coupled with the new law banning abortions after the sixth week, will undoubtedly lead to more deaths as the two issues become intertwined. 

                Who in their right mind would want to allow people to walk around with handguns?  With all of the irrational, violent killings we witness using guns, it seems insane to me to make it easier for people to carry guns.

                This morning I started my day by searching for messages of reassurance, and I came across this quote by Howard Zinn, best known for his book,  A People’s History of the United States.

                                “To be hopeful in bad times in not just foolishly romantic.  It is based

                                 on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also

                                 of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness…  If we see only the worst,

                                 it destroys our capacity to do something…  The future is an infinite

                                 succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should

                                  live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”